Binah

This series, which is broadcast on KALW 91.7 FM on Thursday afternoons at noon, features many of the remarkable artists and thinkers who continue to speak at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.

We are always working to update this page so that it more accurately reflects the current broadcast season. We also invite you to visit our Podcast channel where new JCCSF lectures (Binah broadcasts included) are added regularly.

Bryan CranstonIn conversation with Barbara Lane
He’s played President Lyndon B. Johnson, a sitcom dad on Malcom in the Middle, blacklisted Hollywood writer Dalton Trumbo—and, most famously, chemistry teacher-turned-cancer patient-turned-meth overlord Walter White in Breaking Bad. In his riveting new memoir, A Life in Parts, Bryan Cranston opens up about the many parts he’s played on camera and off, and traces his zigzag journey from chaotic childhood to mega-stardom and cult-like following.Record date: October 14, 2016Broadcast date: December 1, 2016

Mike MassiminoIn conversation with Adam Savage
Astronaut Mike Massimino talks about everything NASA—from the first time he saw Earth from space and his first spacewalk, to his deep and abiding love for the Hubble telescope and what having “the right stuff” really means. Spaceman is his first book. He will be in conversation with industrial special effects designer, actor, educator and television host Adam Savage.Record date: October 16, 2016Broadcast date: December 8, 2016

Alan Schwarz
More than one in seven children now get diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—three times what experts say is appropriate. New York Times correspondent Alan Schwarz’s latest book, ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic, exposes the roots and rise of ADHD, and reveals the powerful cultural and economic forces fueling its widespread diagnosis and drug treatment.Record date: October 18, 2016Broadcast date: December 15, 2016

Jonathan Safran Foer
In conversation with Molly AntopolJonathan Safran Foer shares his new novel, Here I Am, about a family in crisis and how they approach their fracturing marriage as Jewish Americans and Israelis.Record date: September 28, 2016
Broadcast date: December 22, 2016

Jeff Bridges
In conversation with Barbara Lane
Actor and musician Jeff Bridges shares stories from his award-winning screen career and music from his band The Abiders.Record date: September 18, 2016
Broadcast date: December 29, 2016

Stephanie DanlerIn conversation with Jourdan Abel
Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, a coming-of-age story set in the wild and alluring world of a famous New York restaurant, has made a buzz in the food world and beyond. Drawing on her years as a server, Danler deftly conjures the adrenalized world of a thinly-disguised top restaurant and evokes the simultaneous fragility and brutality of being young in New York with heart-stopping accuracy.Record date: November 15, 2016Broadcast date: January 5, 2017

Bradley Burston and Jennifer GorovitzHaaretz columnist Bradley Burston is joined by New Israel Fund’s Jennifer Gorovitz for a conversation about America’s new political reality and what it means for our relationship with Israel. What do American Jews expect of a Trump presidency when it comes to Israel and what does his election mean for America-Israel relations from the Israeli perspective?Record date: December 13, 2016Broadcast date: January 12, 2017

Johnny MarrIn conversation with San Francisco Chronicle’s Aidin Vaziri
The legendary guitarist and co-founder of the seminal British band The Smiths, Johnny Marr discusses his influential band’s rapid ascent, strained relationships and ending, his successful and varied career after, and the personal story of this bona-fide guitar hero.Record date: November 18, 2016Broadcast date: January 26, 2017

Amos Oz
Bestselling novelist, essayist and journalist, and a prominent advocate of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Amos Oz discusses Judas, an exquisite love story, and an allegory for the state of Israel and for the eponymous biblical tale.Record date: November 17, 2016Broadcast date: February 2, 2017

Cleve JonesIn conversation with Peter Stein
Cleve Jones conceived the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and, more recently, fought to overturn California’s Proposition 8 and legalize same-sex marriage. Cleve’s memoir, When We Rise, details the nearly four decades that he has spent at the center of the movement to give voice to people who, for much of human history, have been made invisible.Record date: December 9, 2016Broadcast date: February 9, 2017

Michael ChabonIn conversation with Peter Orner
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon has a remarkable ability to transport his readers. His latest novel is Moonglow, an autobiography wrapped in a novel disguised as a memoir that unfolds as the deathbed confession of a grandfather to his grandson.Record date: November 29, 2016Broadcast date: February 16, 2017

Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Elissa EpelIn conversation with The New York Times’ Anahad O’Connor
Microbiologist and Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn is best known for her pioneering study of the nature of telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, which are linked to a host of age-related illnesses, from cancer to heart disease. Join her and leading health psychologist Elissa Epel for a discussion about the role of telomeres in the aging process, and what we can do to improve and lengthen our telomeres to keep us vital and disease-free.Record date: January 10, 2017Broadcast date: February 23, 2017

Bill T. Jones
Dance choreographer and artistic director Bill T. Jones discusses his life and career that includes more than 140 works and has inspired a generation of dancers, choreographers and audiences. In 1982, he co-founded the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with his partner Arnie Zane, and in 2011, merged his company with New York’s historical Dance Theater Workshop to create New York Live Arts.Record date: January 22, 2017Broadcast date: March 2, 2017

Venture Capital 101 with David Hornik, Amy Errett and Hunter WalkIn conversation with Sue Kwon
Three of Silicon Valley’s top venture capitalists reveal how their world works, what makes a successful pitch, what’s hot and what’s not: David Hornik, general partner at August Capital; Amy Errett, founder and CEO of Madison Reed and former venture capitalist at Maveron Ventures; and Hunter Walk, formerly with Google and YouTube and creator of Homebrew, a $35-million seed-stage fund.Record date: January 30, 2017Broadcast date: March 9, 2017

Dr. Larry Brilliant
Dr. Larry Brilliant – philosopher, mystic, hippie, doctor, groundbreaking tech innovator and key player in the eradication of one of the worst pandemics in human history — discusses his inspiring life, chronicled in his remarkable new memoir, Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician Who Helped Conquer the Worst Disease in History.Record date: February 6, 2017Broadcast date: March 16, 2017

George SaundersIn conversation with Dana Spiotta
Acclaimed writer of short stories, essays, novellas and children’s books, George Saunders discusses his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a thrilling supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.Record date: February 13, 2017Broadcast date: March 23, 2017

Stosh Cotler
As CEO of Bend the Arc, the leading progressive Jewish organization working to make this nation one that honors the dignity of all communities, Stosh Cotler is at the forefront of advancing civil and human rights in the United States. She discusses the prophetic role the Jewish community must play in advancing social justice in 21st century America.Record date: February 15, 2017Broadcast date: March 30, 2017